


One Goes Down

by TheGeekySquirrel



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Cyborg Murdoc, Bittersweet Ending, Domestic Fluff, Don't worry, El Mañana Incident, Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, It's nothing nasty, Light Angst, Minor Character Death, Murdoc isn't Horrible, Noodle makes Mistakes, Oops I Guess I Lied, Overdose, Phase Three (Gorillaz), Sibling Relationship, That was an Accident I Swear, mention of drug use, they're alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-02 14:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 17,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10946022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGeekySquirrel/pseuds/TheGeekySquirrel
Summary: “I’m going away for a while, Noodle. Take care of ‘Dents and Russ for me, okay?”Complete!





	1. Prologue

He looked up at the island as it began sinking in the sky. All was going according to plan for now. Any second now, Noodle would be parachuting down. Still, he felt his anxiety crawling up his spine as the time ticked away. After a full minute of no Noodle, he decided he couldn’t wait anymore. He heard 2D and Russel screaming at the crew behind him, but he knew anything they do wouldn’t help. So, he focused all his energy on teleportation and zapped himself onto the island.

 

“Murdoc! Help me, you bastard!” he heard that brat in the lighthouse yell. Since that wasn’t the brat he was looking for, he ignored their screaming. He looked over the island, growling when all he saw a familiar figure carrying his girl.

 

“Put her down, Boogieman. She’s mine.”

 

_Hold up your end of the bargain and I promise to spare her._

 

The bassist nodded, “As long as she’s okay.”

 

Boogieman dropped her immediately, allowing her friend to rush over and begin putting the parachute on her. She opened her eyes slowly.

 

“Murdoc? What’s going on?”

 

He brushed back her bangs to look her in the eye, “I’m going away for a while, Noodle. Take care of ‘Dents and Russ for me, okay?”

 

Her eyes widened and she grabbed his arm, “No, Murdoc, please.”

 

“I’m doing this for you. The least you can do for me is keep the three of you safe,” he growled, pulling her with him as he stood up. Her death grip on his arm didn’t loosen.

 

“But-”

  
“Noodle, go. I’ll come back, I promise,” he kissed her forehead and pushed her off. Murdoc watched her fall until she deployed the parachute. Then, the Boogieman put a hand on his shoulder. The last thing he heard was an explosion and someone shouting his name before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another AU from the mind that brought you Stu-Pot's a Bad Driver, now we have One Goes Down. I've written at least four chapters of this already and have plans to write all the way up until the Rhinestone Eyes video at this point. I found out a little while ago that Murdoc's red eye in Phase One was caused by some dabbling in the dark arts, then I saw a drawing on ashesfordayz's Tumblr of a cyborg Murdoc, so this was the obvious result. The only thing that really changed was how much dark magic Murdoc learned. He now knows how to teleport and has a closer bond with Noodle, so yeah. It's stupid and the prologue is short as hell, but I'll be adding more chapters soon.


	2. Nearly Suffocated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loss affected them all. Some more than others...

They were all like ghosts for months after that. The constant grumbling and weird noises that were once a part of their daily routine had left behind empty spaces in the air. Russel avoided the kitchen more often nowadays, always expecting to see a hungover man staring at the contents of the fridge with a sneer on his face. 2D started going down to the Winnie, just to sit in it and smoke until the memories were too much. 

 

The lack of their bassist hit the only female of the group the hardest. She spent most nights in the Winnie, curled up in his bed, trying to hold onto the scent of shitty fags and greasy hair. During the days, she sat in the living room or the studio and wrote new songs. Occasionally, she’d look up, as if to ask for someone’s opinion, before frowning and looking back down at the sheets. The other boys left her alone, hoping she would come out of this funk. 2D once looked at one of the sheets, but it had certain sections crossed out entirely and others made illegible by water stains. He didn’t tell anyone about it. 

 

After nine months of living like this, Russel got a call from his mother that forced him to get on a plane to America. He hugged Noodle goodbye and promised to return, but it was almost like she was no longer the girl he used to laugh with. He told 2D to keep an eye on her as he got into his taxi. The singer paid close attention to her, quickly noticing that his friend started disappearing for hours after that. He had no idea where she went all day, but he didn’t question it. Instead, he numbed his anxiety with more pills. He was now back up to the amount he’d taken right after the accident. 2D knew Russel would be mad at him for taking more pills than he should. It was just too quiet around Kong. 

 

It took weeks for him to notice the new smells coming from the kitchen and delicious food he ate everyday. When he did, he immediately went to Noodle to question her. 

 

“I made a new Murdoc. He’s going to be helping us from now on,” she said calmly, thumbing through a magazine. Her surrogate brother stared at her, mouth wide open. The teenager sighed and called out their lost leader’s name. Immediately, a man who looked exactly like _him_  walked in, all movements stiff and unnatural. 

 

“Yes, madame?” He said in a voice that sounded vaguely like Murdoc’s. The singer refused to believe it was his friend’s voice. The only way this one sounded like him was the accent. Everything else was gone. Noodle waved at 2D, never taking her eyes off her magazine. The thing turned to him. 

 

“I am a cyborg, created using the DNA of Murdoc Niccals. Roughly forty percent of my form is made of the exact same material as he is. I can cook, clean, play music, and offer protection. Do you have a request for me, sir?”

 

“Just call me 2D,” the singer said, turning to stare at his sister again, “Why’d you do this? This thing ain’t Murdoc an’ you know it.”

 

She finally looked up from her magazine with sorrowful eyes, “I tried. I can’t bring him back yet and this is the next best thing, okay? He’s all we’ve got until the real Murdoc come back.”

 

“Noodle, you saw it happen. He’s gone, love. ‘M sorry, but that’s the truth.”

 

“He’s  _ Murdoc _ . He would never just abandon us like that. This is his band and he won’t leave it. You’ll see. He’ll come back and then I’ll deactivate the cyborg. I promise.”

 

The man sighed, “Fine. But you have to turn off its voice. ‘S freaky.”

 

She nodded and got up, the cyborg following her as she walked out the room. 2D ran a hand through his hair, a million questions going through his mind at once. It gave him a headache. So, he went upstairs to pop some pills and forget. Murdoc always said he was pretty good at forgetting. The singer sighed, wishing he could forget Murdoc for once in his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the great reaction the first chapter got, I've decided to continue this AU. Firstly, there will be some major changes from the characters' canon personalities. 2D will be less daft and Noodle's personality will probably end up closer to Murdoc's. We will be skipping through long stretches of time a lot because the majority of this will probably be told through 2D's perspective with occasional interludes told from Murdoc's point of view. I believe both of them have fragmented views of the world through drug use and physical disabilities, so they both often find themselves being unable to remember long stretches of time. That's my headcanon and I'm sticking with it. Also, yeah I write short chapters, what are you gonna do about it?


	3. Heart is Frozen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's got worries, but she doesn't care. Why worry when everything's fine?

_They were in the basement again, taking apart a television together. He occasionally pointed to a certain piece and explained what it was. She would listen intently, making sure to ask questions. Usually, in front of the others, he’d growl and leave her questions unanswered. But, this place was special. Here, she could ask him whatever she wanted and he’d tell her the truth. She liked these times the best._

 

_He stood up and wiped his forehead, “That’s enough for today. We’ll finish up tomorrow, then I’ll teach you how to put it back together again.”_

 

_She smiled, nodding along._

 

_But, suddenly, they weren’t there. They were in the island, putting explosives in strategic locations. He’d already explained why they were doing this at this point, but she had a bad feeling about it._

 

_Then, she was falling. She looked up to see it happen again. This time, he was staring right into her soul. He was burning and screaming and-_

 

Noodle shot up in bed. She pushed her bangs out of her eyes, gripping the sheets tightly with the other hand. No one came in to comfort her. She had to remind herself that Russel was gone and 2D was too far away. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. The teenager climbed out of bed, immediately going to the basement. She pushed the memories of going down there for the first time and learning how to build gadgets out of her mind as she opened the door. The cyborg was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

 

“Time?”

 

“It is three forty-seven a.m. Miss, you ought to be in bed. You haven’t gotten sufficient sleep since I was activated.”

 

She stopped cold, “Stop talking. Now.”

 

It shut its mouth with a quiet click and handed her a bottle of water. She took a few sips before sitting down at her desk and getting back to work. Her savings only gave her so much money to work with. She’d need more if she wanted to carry out the rest of her plans. So, she started building weapons for pirates Murdoc had introduced her. He’d told her that they were dangerous, but she needed the money to get him out. The process of building guns and the like were mindless to her, so she focused her mind on her memories of him.

 

The one from her dream plagued the corner of her mind. She thought of the time he’d helped her build her first computer instead. At that point, he didn’t need to give much instruction. Instead, he’d laughed and joked with her, pointing out all the little mistakes she’d made. Coding the damn thing had been a bit more of a challenge, but Murdoc taught her how pretty quickly. She had it sitting by her bed now; he’d called it a keepthing.

 

“ _It’s to help you remember, just in case._ ”

 

“ _How could I forget about this_?”

 

“ _Things happen, kiddo._ ”

 

She shut her eyes and gripped her tool tightly.

 

“Miss, the time is four thirteen. Would you like breakfast?”

 

Noodle took a few deep breaths before standing up, “I’ll get it myself.”

 

She avoided looking at it on the way up the stairs. A sweet smell hit her as soon as she opened the door. She followed her nose to the kitchen, where a certain blue-haired man pulled one of her favorite food items out of the waffle maker. He hummed a familiar tune under his breath as he set it on a plate and poured more batter into the device. Noodle felt her mouth water at the sight of perfect waffles sitting next to a bottle of syrup a bottle of syrup.

 

“Mornin’ Noodle. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to make us breakfast.”

 

She walked over, never taking her eyes off the prize, “Thank you, Toochie. They looked really good.”

 

He chuckled and handed her a fork, “That’s your plate. There’s chocolate chips in the fridge. ‘M sorry I didn’t put them in the waffles.”

 

She giggled and went to the fridge, “It’s okay. I know you don’t like them.”

 

Noodle turned back to see him staring at her with a sad look on his face. Her smile disappeared instantly.

 

“What’s wrong, Toochie?”

 

“Russ an’ Muds ain’t here anymore. ‘S just us now. What if I can’t protect you?”

 

She clicked her tongue and moved over to make her plate, “That’s what the cyborg is for. He’ll protect both of us until the others get back.”

 

He flipped the waffle maker and put a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

 

“He’s coming back, Toochie. He promised me.”

 

“That’s not what ‘m worried about. What if he ain’t the way he was before when he comes back?”

 

“Then, we’ll help him get better. Russel can help! He’s always helping you get better.”

 

2D gave her a look, then sighed, “I just don’t know, Noods.”

 

She put a hand on his shoulder, “It’ll be fine. They’re both going to come back and we’ll be together again. I promise.”

 

"Still. We oughta come up with a backup plan, just in case."

 

Noodle clicked her tongue, "What do you want to do, send him back to hell or something?"

 

He hummed, looking away, "We'll do what we have to, Noods. It may be th' only way."

 

She gave him a glare and picked up her plate, "I think I'm gonna eat in the basement. See you later, Toochie."

 

The teen stormed off, ignoring anything her friend said. Once she was back at her desk, Noodle ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. She gave the waffles a long look before shoving them aside and getting back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big sister knows best, right? Maybe not... Ah well, Noodle is still the best! I've always loved her character and this fic has given me the perfect excuse to explore it. I also just noticed that both of my multi-chapter Gorillaz fics have Murdocs who aren't exactly in speaking roles. I guess I'll have to change that very soon.


	4. Burns Firm and Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One spark changes everything. Now, the question is, was it the right choice?

They lost track of time easily. Everyday, Noodle went down to the basement to work while 2D cleaned. It was slow going for both of them, but, little by little, they got their work done. Carefully, they formed a routine together. The cyborg helped them keep it by cooking at mealtimes and reminding both of them to go to bed at the right times. He stopped taking so many pills everyday. She made it up to him by sure going to him during her restless nights.

 

Eventually, the pain of their loss faded away and determination took root in Noodle’s mind. She spent as much time as she could in the basement, only coming up for mealtimes and sleep. He didn’t know why, but she seemed happier, so he didn’t question it. After two long years, she suddenly stopped and locked the door to the basement altogether. She started getting on their computer more often, looking for something. Even if she was busy, Noodle started making time for 2D in her day. They would play video games or try to bake together or just talk for hours on end. Russel called at least once a week, making a point of telling them he’d be back by Autumn every time. Both of them agreed that it was a good time. But, it was still missing something.

 

This empty happiness only lasted until Noodle got a call while she was talking to 2D, just a few weeks before Russel was supposed to return. She frowned and nodded along with what they said, only replying in Japanese. Her surrogate brother waited until she hung up to ask who that was. All she did was stand up and go to the basement. He waited by the door until she came back up with some boxes. The cyborg followed closely behind her, its eyes hidden behind his bangs.

 

“Gather up your things. We’re leaving,” she said as she handed him a box. He stared at her with wide eyes. 

 

“But we gotta wait for Russ. He’s gonna be back in just a few weeks.”

 

“We don’t have time. We’ll take what we can from his room, but we need to go now. I’ve already got somewhere for us to go.”

 

“Noods, I don’t think this is a good idea. We should stay an’ wait for Russ.”

 

“I’ll call him and tell him where we’re going. He’ll catch up with us there. Cyborg, bring the Winnie around front and wait for us there. If we’re not out there in an hour, come get us.”

 

It nodded and walked out of the building. Noodle took a headband out of her pocket, pushing her bangs out of her eyes with it. 

 

“We have no choice, Toochie. Either you come with us or go somewhere else, but you can’t stay here. Someone is looking to hurt us.”

 

2D followed her up the stairs, the box she’d given him cradled in his arms, “Why? What did you do, Noods?”

 

“I’ll tell you later.”

 

She tried to go in her room, but was stopped by one grown man stepping in her way. 

 

“No, you’re gonna tell me now. I ain’t a child, Noodle. I can handle it.”

 

“I made weapons for pirates to get money so I could buy Point Nemo and build an artificial island on it. But I messed up and some of the weapons malfunctioned, so now the pirates are looking for me. If we don’t leave right now, they’ll come find us and kill us. There, happy?”

 

2D stood there gaping. He just stared at her, never moving an inch. Noodle groaned and pushed him out of the way. He stumbled into the opposite wall with a gasp. The teen didn’t look back at him as she pushed open the door to her room and put things in her box. Some of the items looked valuable, but others seemed to be more sentimental. He snapped out of his trance when she pulled a faded, crudely made book out of a drawer. 

 

“I can’t believe you. You are gonna be in so much trouble when Russ finds out. Why the hell did you think that was a good idea anyway?”

 

“I don’t wanna talk about it. If you value anything in your room, you should go get it now. Otherwise, I’m leaving it all behind. We only have an hour, Toochie. Please, make it count.”

 

He tsked and went up the next flight. The long hallway that led to his room gave him more time to think about what his surrogate sister had said. The more he thought, the more hurt he felt. Unanswered questions flew through his head as he opened his room and started putting things in his box. He started with as many bottles of pills as he could find, then moved on to clothes. When that box was filled up, he took it downstairs and grabbed another. He filled this one with anything of value he could find. Whether it was sentimental value or real value, he didn’t leave it behind. After he filled that box, he went back down the hallway. 

 

His first box was taped shut and set next to the front door with two other closed boxes, so he put his second box on top of his first and went looking for Noodle. He took the stairs to her floor two at a time. The door was wide open, as was Russel’s. But, neither room had a teenager inside. He went back down to the first floor and wandered around, calling out her name. He thought he heard something in the studio, but no one was there. 

 

What was there were awards he remembered winning. He picked up their Grammy, just to feel its weight. He remembered Murdoc’s smile that night and how he hugged everyone. 

 

“ _ You are the best band ever! Who knows what’s next? We could win an Oscar _ !”

 

“ _ I don’t think they give Oscars to musicians, Muds _ .”

 

“ _ Aw, come ‘ere, faceache _ .”

 

He grinned at the memory and gave the trophy a hug. He looked again at all the awards they’d won, then noticed a box hidden on the bottom shelf of the award case. He pulled it out and undid the top, shoving all their awards inside without giving the contents a single glance. 2D picked up the box with a grunt, resting it on his hip as he walked back out to the front door. Noodle was waiting for him this time, carrying two gas cans. She took one look at the awards sticking out of the box and smiled. He set it down on top of the other boxes. 

 

“What now?”

 

She help up the gas cans, “Now we burn down Kong.”

 

He felt like he ought to be used to being surprised by Noodle today at this point, but he still felt his eyebrows shoot up, “What? Why?”

 

“They’ll infest the place and kill the others if they come here. But, if there is no Kong, Russel and Murdoc won’t stay, so the pirates will leave it alone.”

 

“Noodle, that’s insane. This is our home. I won’t let you do this.”

 

She looked at him sadly, “Cyborg, come get 2D. Take him to the Winnie and don’t let him leave.”

 

2D barely had time to say anything before he was thrown over the thing’s shoulder and taken outside. 

 

“Put me down! Noodle, don’t do this! There’s another way! There has to be!” he screamed. She avoided his gaze as the doors closed. He continued screaming and struggling until he was thrown against the bed in the Winnie. The cyborg climbed on top of him, pinning him down. 

 

“Get offa me, you piece of shit! I have to save our home!”

 

It didn’t move, staring at him with an intense gaze. 2D struggled underneath its weight, but it was useless. He squirmed until he could see out of the window near Murdoc’s bed, which was facing Kong. He watched Noodle bring out all five boxes of things they’d gathered and some instruments as well. Then, he watched her take one of the gas cans and go inside. He couldn’t see her pouring it up and down the halls of his home, but he knew it was happening. His efforts to get out of the thing’s grasp were doubled. He got squeezed harder as a result. 

 

After what felt like ages of wiggling and getting the breath squeezed out of him, Noodle reemerged. He start screaming at her again. 

 

“No, don’t do it! Noodle, please. That’s our home, we need it! Muds wouldn’t do this! What are you thinkin’? Stop, please!”

 

She ignored his desperate cries and struck a match. He barely heard anything he shouted as she tossed it inside the doors of their home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was reminded that I haven't updated yet this week while I was listening to Sleeping Powder. By the way, holy fuck, it's pretty goddamn great. Anyways, this chapter is probably my favorite out of the whole fic. It almost wrote itself. For some reason, I really like hurting my favorite characters and idk why??? Oh well, time to change everything!


	5. Toasted Over Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything's a wreck after the hurricane, but their ship is still sailing.

He stayed in Murdoc’s bed, exhaustion now taking root in his mind. A million emotions had gone through his mind as Kong began burning right in front of his eyes. Noodle and the cyborg had driven them away from it as soon as they could. 2D had cried for the first few hours. But, now, he was just tired. He simply stared at the roof of the Winnie, trying to remember anything he could from Kong. Faint impressions of whispered melodies, bad weed, and a deep bass guitar swimmed through his mind. He tried to pin it down to a time, but it all blended together. 

 

His attempts of recollection were interrupted by Noodle coming back to sit on the floor next to the bed. He knew her eyes were trying to find his through her bangs, but he refused to meet their gaze. She sighed. 

 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten mixed up with that shit in the first place.”

 

He let out a small noise and looked at her, “D’you remember anything nice that happened there? I can’ seem to recall much.”

 

She put a finger on her chin, “How about the day I arrived? Do you remember that?”

 

“All I remember is a little kid poppin’ out of a box an’ scarin’ the hell outta me.”

 

“Yeah, your reaction was great,” she said with a soft laugh. Another memory came to 2D’s mind that made him chuckle. 

 

“What?”

 

“I just remembered when Murdoc tried to teach you how to drive.”

 

“Why is that funny? I did pretty well for my first time.”

 

“Y’did, but you were nine years old.”

 

She laughed, “He’s not the best, but he’s Murdoc.”

 

“Remember when he tried to make us muffins an’ they turned into scones?”

 

“I still don’t know how he did that.”

 

They laughed together. 2D’s phone began ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and stared at Russel’s number on the screen. 

 

“God, what am I gonna tell Russ?”

 

Noodle put a hand on his shoulder, bringing his attention back to her. She gave him a small smile, “I’ll take care of it, Toochie. Get some rest.”

 

He nodded and handed the phone off to her. She answered the call with a cheery tone, getting up to go back to the front. 2D laid down, letting the gentle vibrations of the Winnebago rock him to sleep. 

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

“It had to be done. They would’ve killed you.”

 

“ _ I can handle myself, baby. You shouldn’t have gotten mixed up with that shit. I can’t believe you would go behind my back and do something like this! I know I ain't been around for a while, but that don't mean you can just go and make weapons for pirates! _ ”

 

“I had no choice! At least I saved stuff from your room.”

 

Noodle heard him sigh on the other end of the line, “ _ Did you at least save his hat? _ ”

 

“Of course I did. I loved him, too,” she said, reaching into Russel’s box to pat Del’s hat. She ran her hands over the seams as Russel moved around audibly. She could almost hear the thousand unspoken words buzz around in his mind. Eventually, he sighed again. 

 

“ _ I guess all that matters now is you and 2D are okay. Where are y’all going now? _ ”

 

“Oh, I bought Point Nemo and built an artificial island on top of it. We’re heading to London now to get on a plane to the Easter Islands. I’ve got a ship that’ll take us out once we get there. Overall, it’ll only take a month at most. I’m not going to be able to bring you out until we’re sure the Black Cloud doesn’t know where we are, though. That may take weeks or even months.”

 

“ _ How are you gonna tell me when I gotta get on a plane? _ ”

 

“I’ll find a way to contact you. Like I said, it’ll take a while, but you just have to be patient with me.”

 

Russel clicked his tongue, “ _ You are gonna be in so much trouble when I get out there, young lady. Until then, I guess I oughta tell you to put on sunscreen and have fun. _ ”

 

Noodle laughed and said goodbye to her caretaker. She hung up, then looked past the boxes. 2D was curled up on the bed, eyes shut and arms open. The cyborg cleared its throat. The teen shuddered. The noise had sounded far too human for her tastes. She ignored the wrong feeling in her mind to give him a side eye.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Miss, it is now eight fifty-three. We may have left Kong, but you must stay on schedule. You ought to go to bed now.”

 

“If you promise to wake me up when we get to London, I’ll go sleep.”

 

“Yes, Miss. Estimated arrival time is five forty-three tomorrow morning.”

 

Noodle yawned and got up to go to the bed. She stopped in her tracks as she realised something about the cyborg’s tone.

 

“Was that emotion in your voice?”

 

“I do not know what you’re talking about. I am merely mimicking the vocal patterns of you and 2D, as I was programmed to do.”

 

The teenager wanted to say more about it, but she was cut off by a long yawn. She barely said goodnight to her creation before stumbling towards the back of the Winnie. 2D stirred only enough to put a protective arm around her when she fell into the bed. She meant to go to sleep immediately, but all the events of the day replayed in her head on a loop. Noodle stared at the wall until her surrogate brother grumbled. 

 

“I can hear you thinking. C’mon, go to sleep. We’ll talk about it in th’ mornin’. I promise.”

 

That seemed to be enough to silence some of the thoughts. The teenager closed her eyes, letting the familiar scent of butterscotch put her in a deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a great ending. I'm sure nothing will happen between now and the next chapter. ;))))))))))


	6. Little Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry over nothing. Everything is totally fine.

They did not talk about it in the morning, as it turned out. Nor did they talk about it when hiding the band’s beloved vehicle. In fact, they didn’t talk at all until they were on the island. When they finally did talk, it was just to figure out who took which room and establish some ground rules. 2D went straight to his room as soon as they were done, only coming out in the weeks that followed their escape to eat and use the bathroom. He avoided Noodle like the plague for reasons she couldn’t pin down. It hurt, but she was far too busy making sure they weren’t found to pay him much attention. 

 

This period of silence ended when Noodle came into the living room after a long night to find her friend sitting on the couch, silently staring out the wall of windows opposite him. She paused to wonder what he was thinking about as he stared at the endless blue sea. Murdoc had once complained about how empty his expression could be. Noodle hadn't been able to figure out why he was complaining until this moment. From what she could see of her friend's face, nothing betrayed any emotion. Not a quirk of the lips or a sad blink could tell her what his thoughts were on. Anyone but her could see a lifeless robot sitting there, waiting for a command. She took a silent step forward, then another one. He didn't turn his head until she was standing at the opposite end of the couch. But, as soon as he did, a dopey smile broke that blank look.

 

“Mornin’, Noods. Happy birthday.”

 

The teen tilted her head, “My birthday isn’t until October, Toochie.”

 

“‘S October thirty-first. I asked th’ cyborg just to make sure. He’s makin’ your birthday breakfast now.”

 

“Oh. Do you know how old I am now?”

 

“Th’ cyborg said it’s two-thousand seven, so I guess you’re seventeen.”

 

“Seventeen, huh? That’s a weird age. I’ve got some freedoms, but I’m not an adult yet.”

 

“But you’re th’ dancing queen.”

 

Noodle laughed loudly at that. Her creation came in a moment later. 

 

“Good morning, Miss. I wish to congratulate you on surviving another year of life and invite you to join us for breakfast. 2D reminded me to make something special for you, so I’ve made you chocolate chip waffles.”

 

“Bring them here, please.”

 

2D shuddered as the thing walked out, “I don’t know why you haven’t turned off it’s voice yet.”

 

“It didn’t have a voice for a while, but it was weird having Murdoc not say anything. It’d be like if I was nothing more than a killing machine.”

 

Her brother gave her an odd look. She tried to ignore the feelings of guilt it brought up.

 

“So, I got some news today. We’ve gotten the Black Cloud off our tail for now, so people can start coming out next week.”

 

“That’s the pirates you were messin’ with, right?”

 

“Yeah. They’re fuckasses.”

 

“Noodle!”

 

“You literally call your hairbrush a cunt all the time.”

 

“That’s different. ‘M an adult.”

 

“And I’m seventeen. One more year and I’ll be all grown up.”

 

“Now that’s a weird thought.”

 

The cyborg came back in with a plate piled high with waffles. He also carried another plate with a giant omelet on it. It was set down in front of 2D as the first was given to Noodle. She mumbled out a thank you and dug in. 

 

“Miss, we ought to start recording soon. All collaborators you contacted have agreed to perform. A ‘Snoop Dogg’ has also contacted you, asking to be on the album as well.”

 

“No shit, huh? We’ll have to bring him out and see what he can do. Set up dates when we can go in to record with the others. Try to get some of them to come out, please. I want this one to be out before I’m too old to be in a band.”

 

“What do you think is too old to be in a band.”

 

“Twenty-three.”

 

2D made a distressed noise, putting his head in his hands. Noodle laughed again, feeling much better now. She decided that this little group would be okay for now. The only one that was missing for now was Russel. Thanks to the lack of a pirate crew chasing her, she’d be able to bring him out very soon. 

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

Before much time passed, she was just as big as mess as she’d been before her birthday. All the recording sessions for the album had been set up, but Russel had gone missing. He didn’t answer any of her attempts to contact him at all. She’d tried just about everything she could. No email, satelite call, or video call could get him to answer her. Noodle had even talked to his mother. The last she’d seen of him, he was heading back to Kong. Why he went back there was beyond anything the teenager could understand. 

 

She’d fallen into a routine of calling and going through their boxes of stuff. After about a month of calling twice every day, she discovered that his phone had been disconnected. She called Russel’s mother again to figure out what was going on, only to discover that she hadn’t heard anything from her son since he’d gone to England. If Noodle wasn’t trapped on the island until further notice, she would’ve gone straight back to find him. But, until she could figure out how to arm the cyborg without putting a gun in his hand, they were stuck there.

 

She noticed that 2D was giving her odd looks now. He’d given her a lot of them when she was working for the Black Cloud, but these were different. She couldn’t ignore them anymore; each one felt as heavy as a millstone. He kept himself occupied enough with the few books they’d been able to bring. Everytime she left her room to get food or take a break, he tried to start a conversation with her about their past. 

 

This was one such day. Noodle had just attempted to take a nap, only to wake up in a cold sweat. She couldn’t remember why, but it was in the past now. She got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Her friend was there, face-down on the counter with his book in one hand and some sugary snack in the other. She attempted to quietly get her water, but he looked up anyways. 

 

“Oh, hey Noods. Are you okay?”

 

“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“You just look like you had a bad dream.”

 

“I’m perfectly fine, ‘D.”

 

He sighed, “You know, sometimes you sound just like Murdoc. ‘S kinda freaky.”

 

Noodle swallowed the lump in her throat, “How so?”

 

“He was always insisting that he was alright, but I know that wasn’ true. He was never okay if we weren’t making music.”

 

The familiar emptiness made itself known in Noodle’s chest again. She didn’t know if she wanted to cry or scream, so she started running out of the kitchen instead. She heard 2D tell her to wait as she got out of there as fast as she could. She immediately went back to her room, slamming the door closed and throwing herself onto the bed to cry. 

 

He only have her ten minutes before he came knocking at the door. She didn’t say a word, but he came in anyway. Noodle wanted to scream and throw things at him, but she didn’t have any energy anymore. He sat at the edge of her bed, twiddling his thumbs for a second before saying anything. 

 

“‘M sorry. I didn’t know it still hurt like that.”

 

Noodle sniffed, sitting up. 2D moved over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She launched forward to hug him. 

 

“I miss him so much!”

 

He hugged her tightly, “I know. I miss him too.”

 

She sobbed into his shoulder for a long time. When she could talk again without blubbering about something silly, she started telling 2D everything. From the secret workshop in the basement to what really caused the El Mañana incident, there was nothing she kept hidden. Murdoc wouldn’t be happy with her when he came back, but she was tired of hiding things from her family. Her best friend listened closely, not saying a word until she was done. Then, he squeezed her tightly. 

 

“I had no idea any of that was happening. Oh, Noods, you should’ve told me earlier. I would’ve understood.”

 

“Murdoc made me promise to keep it secret. He didn’t want to be seen as anything more than the leader of the Gorillaz. He has a lot of enemies that would love to get any information they could about him, including how smart he is. Promise me you won’t tell anyone anything. Please, Toochie.”

 

“I promise. I’ll probably forget about all this by next week anyway.”

 

“You won’t. You’re a lot smarter than you think. All of us saw it. That’s kinda why Murdoc was so hard on you. He’s afraid of what you’ll do if you decided to leave because you figured out he isn’t good enough for you. His words, not mine.”

 

“Really? But, he  saved me from a lot of bad things in my life. I’ll always choose the band over everything else. Doesn’t he know that?”

 

“No, I don’t think he does. Even if you tell him when he comes back, he’s never going to believe it. Murdoc will never believe he’s a good person. That’s just part of who he is.”

 

2D sighed and pressed a kiss Noodle’s forehead, “We’ll change his mind, Noods. Even if he doesn’t come back, I’m gonna stick with you. It’ll just be you an’ me against the world.”

 

“What about when Russel gets out here?”

 

“Then we’ll let him join us. We can’t keep him out of the group. He’s like our mom.”

 

The teenager started laughing, “Russel is the cool uncle and Murdoc is the weird guy Russ doesn’t want us talking to.”

 

“Yeah, and you’re the little sister.”

 

“What about you?”

 

“I thought it was a known fact that I’m the dog Murdoc picked up off the street and just kinda passed off to you and Russ without askin’ if you wanted me first.”

 

Noodle laughed harder, her cheeks going red. Her best friend couldn’t contain his chuckles anymore either. She thought of ending it, but a new thought dawned on her. They had all the time in the world out here. So, she let herself just enjoy the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been laughing evilly every time I think about this fic for a week and I'm honestly really glad I decided to not make them suffer this chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!


	7. All We Are is Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it's not fine after all

The sunlight was what woke him up. He stayed where he was, eyes closed, wondering if it had all been a bad trip or a dream. Maybe he was on tour and the rest of the band would be coming in with breakfast in a minute. After two full minutes, he opened his eyes and sighed. Cyborg Murdoc was standing next to the window a bag of fast food in its hand. The singer closed his eyes again, determined to go back to sleep. He heard her get up and yawn, “Dammit, cyborg, it’s too early for this.”

“You asked me to wake you up with hash browns at nine-thirty. I am just doing my job, miss.”

2D heard his adopted siblings sigh, “You  _ are _ getting more human. Whatever, give me my food.”

There were some heavy footsteps and the sound of a bag getting handed to someone. He groaned softly. 

“Should I wake him up, miss?”

“Let him sleep. When did he go to bed last night?”

“He was reading until half past midnight, then he stared at the ceiling for another hour.”

She hummed, pulling something out of the bag. He decided that was a good time to sit up.  

“Oh, good morning, Toochie! Did we wake you?”

He stretched up with a soft groan, “No, you’re fine. What’s for breakfast?”

“Not my hashbrowns. Did you get anything for him, cyborg?”

“Yes, miss. It ought to be below your requested food.”

“And there’s the robot I built. Here, Toochie,” she said, tossing him the bag. He caught it, but didn’t immediately start looking for his food. Instead, he watched his sibling nibble her lone hashbrown with a tired expression. Noodle gave him a look after a long moment.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He shrugged and finally looked into the bag. A wrapped breakfast sandwich was at the bottom. It almost seemed lonely without the hashbrown. He pulled it out to stare at it instead.

“Okay, what’s wrong? Are you sick or something?” Noodle asked, moving to press a hand to his forehead. He waved it off with another shrug, “‘M fine. It’s just… it’s weird to be goin’ to meet with a collaborator without Murdoc here. He was always the one who did this stuff before. I just wonder what he would do if he was here right now.”

“Probably complaining about a hangover and not getting ready. Listen, I’ve got to head out early today. There’s a guy who wants to work with us, but I’m not sure if it should be on the album of just be a single yet. I’m going to the studio he records at to meet with him and find out more information if I can,” she said, finishing off her food. The cyborg took her trash as she went to the dresser. 2D took a bite of food and tilted his head.

“I thought we ‘ad all th’ guys for th’ new album already.”

“I found a ton of songs in the journals we got from the Winnie that Murdoc wrote. A lot of them are pretty good, but I’m not sure which ones should go on the album yet. Seriously, why hasn’t he been writing more songs? He’s really good.”

“He wrote a couple for th’ first.”

“But he should be writing more! He’s really talented. Like, just listen to this,” Noodle fished through her bag until she pulled out a worn notebook and opened it to a marked page, “‘Every satellite up here is watching but I was here from the very start trying to find a way to your heart’ That’s heartfelt and compelling and genius. And it’s not like the songs you and Russ put on there were bad, but this is really good. There’s so many of these amazing songs in his journals and they should all get their chance to be on the album. I just know which songs I think should be recorded using collaborators.”

2D got up and moved to read over Noodle’s shoulder, “I ‘ad no idea he  _ could _ write something like that. He nevah told us about this.”

The teen shook her head, “Why, though? He just doesn’t let us know about these things, but he needs to. We’re his band. He’s my family. Why didn’t he tell any of us?”

She dropped the book to put her head in her hands. He couldn’t see it, but he knew she was crying. 2D looked at the cyborg for guidance. Its expression was completely blank. Yet again, everything about it felt wrong. The singer looked back at Noodle when she pulled away. 

“I have to go, I’ve got things to do. I don’t have time for this sentimental crap anymore.”

2D followed her as she got her clothes and went to the bathroom to change. 

“You sure you’re okay, Noods?”

She threw the door open, wearing a striped shirt that looked far too familiar and a fake smile. 

“Of course I am, Toochie. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

He didn’t stop her as she pushed past him. The singer only turned around when he heard the door shut. He was immediately scared by the cyborg as its cold, uncaring eyes stared at him. 

“Bloody ‘ell. Bugger off, will you?” he grumbled, a headache forming at the edge of his mind. He got painkillers from his bag and swallowed three dry. 

“Of course. What assignment do you have for me, 2D?”

The singer groaned. His meds were taking too long to kick in. He rubbed his eyes with a sigh, “I dunno, write a song or somethin’. I’m gonna take a nap.”

“That makes no logical sense,” it said as he collapsed on his bed again, “You woke up just a few minutes ago. Have you not gotten enough rest yet?”

“No, I mean, yes, but I’m still tired. Does that make sense. Probably not, but I don’t give a damn.”

The cyborg didn’t say another word. 2D had no idea what it was doing, but he didn’t care. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought that Noodle has that one really bad habit of hiding her emotions when she's hurting. You know, the one that's basically a warning sign of depression? Yeah, that one :)))


	8. Interlude: Around the World

Murdoc wasn’t gone for long. At least, it didn’t feel like he’d been gone for long. All he knew on earth anymore was that he opened his eyes and he was lying next to the floating island. Or, what was once the floating island. He brushed ash off his clothes with a low groan. 

“Where the fuck…” he mumbled underneath his breath. Murdoc looked around, but couldn’t recognise anything other than the burnt lighthouse. He cursed underneath his breath and began collecting his energy together. It wouldn’t be enough to get him all the way back to Kong, but he would be close enough to walk. He would probably be able to hitchhike his way back if he got lucky. The satanist blinked and was out of there. 

He was able to get back just before daybreak the next day. He couldn’t see the outline of the building, but he marked that up to it being dark. He thought about all the things he still had to do, like explain the crash to Russel and 2D and make it all up to Noodle. They were going to have one hell of a day together. 

But, when he got to the top of the hill, there was nothing of a pile of ash where he beloved home should’ve been. Where his family should be living. The horror of the situation dawned on him as he fell to his knees

“No, no, no, sweet fucking Satan, no, please, no!” he shouted as he fell to his knees. He gathered the ash up around him, desperately holding it to his chest. It was cold and left black streaks that were once all his hopes and dreams on his skin. Murdoc screamed to release the pain as the sun rose above the horizon, showing him that not an inch of Kong Studios had survived the fire. 

Murdoc felt tears began to roll down his face. Noodle, 2D, Russel; they were either dead or never coming back. A million memories flashed through his head at once, but all of them slipped from his fingers as the ash did. 

“Damn, they really did a number on this place, didn’t they, Muds?” the rough voice of his drummer said somewhere behind him. Relief tore through Murdoc’s body like a bullet as he turned around to see the man, still living. 

“Russel! Oh, thank Satan you’re alive!” 

He ran to hug the American. The tears still streaming down his cheeks took all his sadness with them. But, the joy that replaced it was short lived. Murdoc pulled away to look his drummer in the eye.

“Who did this? Where are Noodle and 2D?”

The man crossed his arms, “They’ve been busy. Noodle got herself caught up in some pirate nonsense and was forced to burn the place down so they wouldn’t kill all of us. She took ‘Dents with her. They went to an artificial island built on Point Nemo she built with the pirate money to hide out until it was safe. She said she’d call me when it was safe, but that was months ago.”

“And where were you when all this shit happened?”

“I went back to the states and got caught up in shit I shouldn’t’ve gotten caught up in. It kept me there for far longer than I should’ve been there for.”

“How long? How long have I been gone? Answer me, Russel.”

The drummer looked Murdoc in the eye, “It’s been two years since El Mañana, Murdoc. We thought you were dead.”

The satanist growled, “Are you honestly telling me none of you listened to me? I told Noodle I would be back. I made a goddamn promise!”

“‘Dents and I didn’t believe her because we saw the fucking crash. Everything was fucking burning. The only thing left was the lighthouse. We found a body and thought it belonged to you. ‘Dents got it cremated and spread the ashes in that fucking parking lot you put his eye out in. You tellin’ me that wasn’t you?”

“No. That was probably the bastard I was trying to kill with the island.”

“What the actual fuck, Murdoc?”

“He was gonna kill all of us if I didn’t do something! So, I told him to get in the lighthouse and hide on the upper floor until Noodle was dead, then he could parachute down and that would be the end of Gorillaz. He thought we were gonna go start a band together. Then, Noodle and I rigged the place to blow. She was supposed to have enough time to parachute down, but she either inhaled too much smoke or passed out from stress.”

“And what about the guy?”

“We locked him in the lighthouse. You found his body, you know he’s dead. Great work, you guys. Now, we have to go find Noodle and 2D and give them an earful for burning the house down while the adults were away.”

Russel shook his head, then began walking back down the hill. Murdoc followed close behind, entirely confused. 

“Where the bloody hell do you think you’re going?”

“The ocean. We’ll have to cross it if we’re going to get to them.”

The satanist didn’t argue as they walked back down the hill, away from the ashes that had once been their home. Murdoc felt like it would be the last time. Somehow, he didn’t have a problem with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where Noodle got out quickly and immediately started looking for her drunk uncle and stoned puppy, Murdoc took years to crawl out of hell, then fucked around until someone came to pick him up.
> 
> Totally in character!
> 
> Okay, maybe the sad Murdoc isn't in character, but I don't write him that often! I literally just wrapped up a fic where he was in a coma, what did you expect?


	9. North From Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to now.
> 
> TW/ Attempted Suicide, please read end notes

She didn’t mean to slam the door, but she did. 2D sat up from a pile of blankets, his hair totally fucked up. She wanted to laugh at it, but her heart just wasn’t in it. He looked at her with confusion written on his face, “Noods? Wos wrong?”

The scowl she’d been sporting fell as soon as she looked at her elder. Noodle slid down the length of the door to hide her face behind her knees before she sobbed. On the other side of the room, a book was shut. The teen could hear the squeaky gear in its left leg protest as it walked over. She counted five steps before its shadow fell over her.

“I assume the meeting did not go well, Miss?”

“No, it went great. The song’s gonna be recorded, but it’s probably gonna end up being a single released after we do the album, since the guy we’re working with can’t record his part any sooner,” she mumbled. Springs from 2D’s bed groaned, letting her know that he had moved so he was closer to her. She didn’t look up at him. 

“Why are you so grouchy then? Did sumthin’ happen on the way back?”

“Yeah, uh-” she let out a sigh “I saw a guy playing a guitar on the way back. He wasn’t really good, but he had a black fringe and it just reminded me too much of  _ him  _ and- fuck,” Noodle cut herself off with a sob as the emotions she’d been bottling up all rushed out at once.The springs started squeaking again, but that gear did too. Ultimately, she felt an artifical pair of arms wrap around her. Noodle looked up to question her creation, but the cyborg was already staring into her eyes, “2D often gives you a ‘hug’ when you are upset to the point of crying. It seems to calm you down. So, the logical reaction is to calm you with a hug. Is that not correct?”

The hug was nice, but looking in Murdoc’s face while it did a full-on hug just felt…  _ wrong _ . The real Murdoc had barely ever shown her any affection aside from ruffling her hair and the occasional arm around her shoulders when he was really proud of her. She wanted to cry some more, but she just felt angry at the situation. Noodle stood up and wiped away her tears, “There will be no more of that, understood?”

It nodded, but didn’t get up. Noodle didn’t have to look at 2D to know he was more than confused at this point. She immediately went to the bathroom. Once again, the door slammed behind her. For half a second, she worried about getting a noise complaint, but then she looked in the mirror and forgot to worry. 

Between the exhaustion underneath her eyes and the pimples she’d gotten from not washing her face in two months, she looked like shit. Noodle silently cursed herself and looked down. Her toothbrush sat right next to 2D’s, the latter looking unused. She’d have to make sure he got on that. Her gaze drifted over the half-empty tube and barely used deodorant before coming to rest on the bottle of sleeping medication she’d brought for both of them. Their shared insomnia had been particularly bad lately, so she’d sent the cyborg to get it for them as soon as they got off the plane. Noodle ran the numbers through her head. They were supposed to get dinner with their potential collaborators at seven, giving her plenty of time to sleep. She grabbed the bottle with a shaky hand and tried three times to twist the cap off. Last night, the cyborg had advised them to take no more than two pills at a time, but fuck that. That thing wasn’t the one with insomnia. 

She poured herself a handful and threw them into her mouth. Then, she washed them all down with water straight from the faucet. It tasted fucking disgusting. She could hear 2D and the cyborg talking on the other side of the door, but she tuned the noises around herself out for once to sit on the floor. Her head hit the wall with a thunk as she closed her eyes and waited for the pills to take effect. All the memories of today that zipped around her mind slowly faded into a fuzzy feeling. She could almost hear her heart slowing down as her breaths became slow. 

The door was just a few feet away, but the knocking seemed to be coming from the moon. It took her too long to realise 2D was saying something. It felt like something was wrong about all of this, but Noodle was too tired to put the pieces together. Time became a blur. The door opened and hands were on her shoulders and water was falling on her forehead and fingers were down her throat. She could barely feel all the medication coming back up. 

‘ _ What a waste _ ,’ she heard echoing from somewhere else. She faded in and out of existence, but was able to register that she’d been moved from the bathroom to a bed to an ambulance. 

“Toochie,” someone who sounded too much like her said quietly as sirens blared. She could just barely feel a hand on hers as the darkness swallowed her. 

The next thing she knew, she was waking up in a hospital bed. 2D was passed out in a chair on one side and the cyborg was writing in Murdoc’s journal on the other side. He glanced at her with stopping. 

“Good evening, Miss.”

“Time,” she croaked.

“It is two fifty-four am. I called your seven o’clock appointment and rescheduled for Friday. I have also gotten rid of the sleeping medication because you overdosed on them. 2D wanted to ask you what the hell you were thinking, but, seeing as he is now asleep, I shall ask you myself. What the hell were you thinking? You could have died.”

Noodle sat up with a groan. The cyborg shut the journal and handed her a glass of water, which she quickly accepted. It waited until she’d downed half the glass to repeat the question. She shrugged, “I was tired. I just wanted to get some sleep before the dinner.”

“Why did you take the medication then? 2D was able to nap while you were having your morning meeting without any.”

The teen sighed, “I don’t know why I thought I needed it, okay?”

“Yes you do. Please tell me.”

“Oh, fucking stop it. You’re a goddamn  _ machine _ . You can’t feel concern.”

It looked up to glare at her, looking more like Murdoc than ever, “I am not fully inhuman, Noodle. I am forty percent human. My mind may not be fully capable of processing human emotions, but it  _ is _ able to understand sympathy. Please do not forget this in the future.”

A shiver went down Noodle’s spine at the tone of her creation’s voice. If it were any less robotic, it would sound exactly like Murdoc. She took a long sip of her drink as it went back to writing. She watched the pencil move fluidly across the page, her creation humming every so often. It was nothing like how the real Murdoc wrote. She almost voiced this thought, but stopped. She’d never seen Murdoc write songs before. Maybe this was how he’d done it. It spared a glance up at her, but it only lasted a moment. It was enough to make her look away. 

“Time?” she asked again, quieter now. It was silent for a moment before answering, “Three-oh-seven am. Would you like for me to call a doctor, Miss?”

She placed a hand on 2D’s head, just to ground herself, “No thank you.”

Neither of them said nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I went there. Originally, 2D was going to be the one who overdoses, but then I had a dream and this happened. I'm so sorry to all my readers. I'm especially sorry to those who are triggered by this kinda of content. I just couldn't find another way that would have worked with the story.


	10. Until They Grow Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath, they're all tired and none of them know what to do. Life carries on

He woke up at six twenty-six in the morning. For three hours, Cyborg had sat there, writing and humming to itself. Noodle had pet 2D’s hair for the first hour, then tried to sleep, then sat up and just thought. He was anxious when he woke up, asking her over and over why she’d done it. Every time, she gave him the same answer- it was an accident. He didn’t buy it whatsoever, but dropped the subject when a nurse came in. The doctor told her what she already knew and that they’d like to admit her to the psychiatric ward. But, if she felt there was no problem, she was free to go. Noodle left as soon as possible, ignoring the looks that 2D gave her. The first thing she did upon arriving back at the hotel room was pull out the cyborg’s blueprints. She had to figure out how to get rid of that voice as soon as possible. 

 

Noodle worked until 2D physically pulled her away from the desk. Then, she sle. Her creation never said a word to her as she worked herself to the bone, then slept like the dead. She had no idea what 2D was doing when he wasn’t taking care of her, but based on his tanning skin, she’d assumed that he was spending a lot of time exploring the area. On Friday, the cyborg woke her up early. He waited until she sat up to place two things in her lap. The first was a breakfast from some fast food place she quickly disregarded. The other was the journal she’d shown 2D just a few days ago. She picked it up and flipped through it. Before, the entries had ended about halfway through the book. Now, though, there were more, written with small, perfect letters. Noodle frowned. 

 

“What the hell is this?”

 

“I wrote songs. They are all based on what I have experienced since being put into operation. I did this at the suggestion of 2D. He is a rather smart fellow, after all.”

 

Noodle ignored the voice in her head that whispered about how  _ wrong  _ this was as she shut it and tossed it to the other side of the bed, “Whatever. What time is it?”

 

“Eighty fifty-nine in the morning. 2D has already left for the day. He has made a full schedule for today. According to him, this will improve your emotional state. I am to escort you out of the door by nine fifteen so we may meet him at the first location.”

 

The teen raised an eyebrow, but asked no more questions. She dug into her breakfast, eating only a little bit at first. Before she could set it away, the cyborg cleared his throat, “2D said you must eat everything given to you for breakfast. I can assure you, you will need the energy.”

 

She ate the rest of the meal without a single complaint. As much as she didn’t like to admit it, she did feel better with a full stomach. Afterwards, she grabbed the outfit the cyborg had set aside for her and went to the bathroom. Noodle avoided looking in the mirror like the plague. Once she was done, the teen tried to leave, but the door wouldn’t budge. She growled and banged on it. 

 

“What the hell, Cyborg?”

 

“You have been neglecting your dental health recently. 2D made me promise to not allow you to leave until you had brushed your teeth. He also requests that you brush your hair.”

 

Noodle took a calming breath before begrudgingly picking up her toothbrush. Once she was done with both brushes, she knocked on the door again, “I’m done. Let me out, please.”

 

The door swung open slowly. She sighed and pushed it the rest of the way open. The cyborg had changed into a white turtleneck with a black band on his arm. She’d never seen those clothes before, but she didn’t question it. It pulled on the leather boots it had always worn before going to the door.

 

“Are you ready to leave, Noodle?”

 

Hearing her name sent a shiver down her spine, “Yeah, let’s just go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise bitch. Bet you'd thought you'd seen the last of me. 
> 
> So, I thought I'd posted this before going on hiatus, but then I realized I didn't. I'm probably gonna disappear again after this is posted bc the next chapter is gonna have the appearance of a certain car shark and idk how to write it with the substitutions I'm making, but ya know...


	11. Not So Broken Hearted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's about time for our first major dive into the canon, don't you think?

2D didn’t go to the dinner, but he heard that it was a success. After that, Noodle tried to go back to the island the way they’d gone there before, but there was a group of men dressed in black waiting outside the airport. The cyborg got them out of there as soon as possible. She told it to drive their rented car to a certain place that seemed important. 2D sat in the back with their things, watching as Noodle pulled out her phone and called someone. He listened to her talk without saying a word. The past few days were already fuzzy, but he still tried to remember everything that had happened. The memory of the hospital trip felt like it was from a month ago. Suddenly, they jerked to the side of the road and stopped. Noodle got out of the car first, waving at three camera men getting out of another car in front of them. The cyborg came around to open 2D’s door. 

 

Their bags were moved to the trunk of the other car. 2D sat in the passenger's seat, fully expecting the cyborg to drive again. Instead, Noodle climbed into the driver’s seat a moment later. He didn’t even question it. The door behind him opened and closed and they were off. 2D felt like dying, to be honest. He’d drunken a bit more than he normally would the night before. Now, a pounding hangover was killing him. He turned around to stare at the cyborg, wondering if it could help him. The thing didn’t give him a single look as he picked a shotgun off the floor and cocked it. It looked up at him with an all-too-familiar, blank stare. Those mismatched eyes that had once seemed to look into his soul with a fake smirk were now just looking at him. He quickly turned back around in his seat. 

 

The singer fixed his gaze on the glovebox in front of him. It sat there, practically begging him to just pop it open. With a quick look to his little sister, 2D quickly yanked on it. Inside was a clown mask, the nose being ridiculously long. He let out a sharp laugh that he immediately regretted as he pulled it out to examine it closer. He could feel Noodle glance over. 

 

“What did you find, Toochie?” she asked. She’d made her accent thicker than usual. Even though he knew she was just trying to make him feel better, he grinned. 

 

“Ah fink issa mask o’ some sort. Looks pretty nifty, doncha fink, Noods?” he replied, exaggerating his accent just as much. She laughed and looked over again, “You should put in on, Toochie. I bet those American girls would like it!”

 

The clicking of the cyborg’s joints were washed out by their loud laughter. 2D felt like he’d never been so happy. Had it really been just a few days ago that this wonderful little girl had almost died? He put the mask on with a wide grin, earning another laugh from his sibling. 

 

“You look ridiculous, Toochie! Take it off, we’re on camera.”   
  


“Really? Where’s the camera men, Noods?”

 

“They’re heading back to the city. They left cameras all over the car so we can keep an eye out for people who don’t like us very much right now.”

 

“Like the Black Cloud?”

 

He turned in time to see her grimace. The smile fell off his own face as she replied, “Yeah, and a few others. Murdoc made a lot of enemies who want to hurt us so he’ll come out of hiding.”

 

“Ah thought people fink he’s dead.”

 

Noodle went silent for a while. Then, she murmured to no one in particular, “I thought so too.”

 

They drove in silence for a while. 2D could feel every bump on the run-down road send shooting pains through his head. The singer almost thought he had a migraine coming on. To distract himself, he started singing lyrics from one of their newest songs and slouched in his seat. A siren blared behind them. 2D looked back to see a police officer directly behind them. 

 

“Uh, Noodle?”

 

“I got it, Toochie. Keep singing for me. Please.” 

 

He complied as she started waving the officer past. They swerved, but kept tailgating right up on them. 2D didn’t stop singing, even though the cyborg had leaned out the window and was now shooting at the officer. Noodle grasped desperately at it, trying to force it to stop. It didn’t come back in until the officer had been successfully run off the road. The singer watched their pursuer crash through a billboard advertising some kind of microwavable seafood, then turned back to his sister. She was watching it all go down too, a look that only said “what the hell” on her face. The guitarist turned back to the road. 

 

2D stuck his head out the window again in time to catch a glimpse of an ugly red car parked on the side of the road and its bald headed driver. He almost looked like an actor Russel used to talk shit about. The singer tuned it out. Singing had helped a bit, but he was exhausted. The clouds in his line of sight all blurred together. 

 

Sounds of clicking gears got louder from the back. Both of the humans turned back to find the cyborg malfunctioning. Noodle turned back to the road just as 2D fixated on it. He wanted to ignore it, but the poor thing seemed to be hurting. 

 

“Noods, ah fink it’s really ‘urt. We should stop to take a look.”

 

She looked in the rearview mirror and sped up instead. 2D looked back to find the red car from earlier. It got into the other lane, tracked by the singer’s eyes the whole time. Then, the bald man took out a silver gun and aimed it at the front seat. 

 

Anxiety burst in 2D like a kernel of popcorn in a pot of boiling oil. 

 

“Shit, Noodle, watch out!” he shouted as he ducked. His adoptive sister rolled the window up as quickly as she could, but it shattered before it could reach the top. More bullets followed the first, though they started coming from behind. Their car was bumped by the other. He heard Noodle sit up and scooch forwards in her seat in a desperate attempt to make the car faster. 

 

In this moment, he took a second to reflect. Usually, taking a moment like this gave 2D the answer of what to do. Now, though, he just wanted to bury himself in monster movies on the couch back home in Kong. 

 

2D looked up in time to see Noodle pressing a button on top of the shift that made them go incredibly fast. He felt like he was going to be sick. 

 

“Noodle,” he groaned in warning. She kept going faster, faster, faster. Then, they found the end of the road. It was a quick drop, but 2D still had time to wonder who would bury him, or if they’d even find their bodies, before they hit the water. 

 

As they sank down, he looked at his little sister. She seemed so calm about it all. Somehow, it didn’t surprise him. He just took her hand and squeezed it. 

 

“Ah love you, Noods.”

 

She smiled and pulled her hand away gently, pressing a button on the dash just as she turned the car to the side. It transformed into a submarine, complete with a metal table the cyborg now laid on. They went onwards through the war, perfectly fine. 

 

2D gave his sister an odd look. 

 

She grinned back, “Do you really have so little faith in me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phase 5 has probably kicked me off my ass, so thanks to the Gorillaz for doing that to me. We're skipping past the planned day bc I have no idea what the hell I was planning for that. Instead, take this finally finished chapter for this shitty fic about my now second favorite phase & join me whenever my imagination decides to work next, which will hopefully be before I die of old age.


	12. So Call in the Submarine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's two sides to this story. One is about an asshole who needs to keep better track of his friends. The other about a young girl who just wants to go home.
> 
> Trigger Warning for murder pretty early on in the chapter and an attempted murder later on

Murdoc was separated from Russel rather quickly. He got all the way across the states without getting in trouble, then found himself a boat. His savings bought him a one-way ticket to Point Nemo. It was rather nice to have people waiting for him, hand and foot, but he prefered sticking to his room.

 

Two weeks into his trip, a plane landed on the deck. As the only person who probably knew what was going on, he was told immediately and went up to the deck. The pilot climbed out as soon as he stepped into view.

 

“Murdoc Niccals, I’m hoping?”

 

“Who’s asking?” the bassist grunted. The stranger crossed their arms, “Your girl’s been gettin’ in trouble, mate. She gave us bad weapons. The bosses are pretty pissed.”

 

He cursed underneath his breath, “You got the wrong person. My girl wouldn’t mess with the Black Cloud. I told ‘er how dangerous you are. Besides, she’s too good at buildin’ shit to fuck up a weapon.”

 

“Believe it or not, the bosses are still pissed at her. They want her dead, y’see.”

 

Murdoc straightened out his posture, “What’s that got to do with me, anyways?”

 

The other pulled out a machine gun with a grin, “She’s hiding from us. We’re hoping we can send a message by killing you. Nothing personal, mate. It’s just business.”

 

He fired. Murdoc hit the deck, barely missing getting grazed. He got back up into a crouch and dashed forwards into the asshole’s legs. The gun clattered onto the deck next to them. The bassist fought tooth and nail. Blood spilled over the deck from both of them, mostly from the other jerk. He looked uglier with one ear.

 

Finally, Murdoc got the gun and stood up. His enemy kneeled just in front of him, face bruised and bloody. The bassist knew he wouldn’t miss.

 

“Go ahead and shoot me. My bosses know where you are now. I radioed it in before we talked. They’ll find you again an’ it won’t be just one of us schmucks next time. They’re gonna bring an army. Then you’ll be sorry, you pickle bas-”

 

The crew surrounding them gasped as Murdoc pulled the trigger. He emptied it into the asshole’s body, then threw the hunk of junk at it. Once he was done, he looked around at horrified faces.

 

“Well? Throw this shit overboard. ‘At’s an order.”

 

He went back to his room to lick his wounds.

 

* * *

* * *

 

Two days went by. That’s what the clock said, anyway. For 2D, it felt longer. Noodle hadn’t slept, he knew it. He also knew she wouldn’t dare take a break until they were safe on the island again. He looked over at her from his post by the table where the cyborg lay, unmoving. She stared ahead, steering them through the ocean.

 

 _“What the bloody ‘ell, Noodle?”_ he remember shouting just a few days earlier. It was the only time she’d taken her eyes off the sea.

 

_“He’s Black Cloud. I protected us.”_

 

_“We almos’ died! Ah can’ believe you’ve gotten yaself wrapped up in this! What would Russel say?”_

 

_“I don’t know, 2D. It doesn’t matter, anyways. He’s not here. I don’t know if we’ll ever see him again anymore.”_

 

The singer turned back to the cyborg. It would probably be dead if it were a human. He ducked his head. He’d chosen to keep watch over this thing and he would do his job. It would be fine.

 

* * *

* * *

 

A siren went off in the hallway. Murdoc ignored it to the best of his abilities. He couldn’t quite ignore the man who knocked, them barged his way in.

 

“Sir, the ship is under attack! I’ve been sent to escort you to the lifeboats.”

 

The bassist got up and grabbed the one special suitcase he’s bought before they set sail. Inside was his last resort. He assembled the weapon quickly, then took off down the halls. The man said something else, but he ignored it.

 

The lights went out as he stomped down the hallway. He ignored it as he went up top.

 

Planes fired at him and he returned it. He saw one of the people on board, a maid, filming him with her phone. She kept her camera on him as long as she could before climbing into a lifeboat and getting out of there.

 

He took one plane down before a bomb was dropped on the ship. Murdoc dived off the side of the ship, losing his weapon in the process. Oh well. He didn’t have to worry about the Black Cloud anymore anyways. His only worry now was the possibility of drowning.

 

The bassist broke above the waves to take a breath. A bit of orange just a couple dozen meters away showed itself to him. He gathered up all the energy he could, but there was no way he could’ve blinked over. Instead, he pushed the energy into his body and swam with all his might.

 

He reached up and grasped at the side desperately. It was just sturdy enough for him to drag himself onto the dinghy. The bassist gasped for breath and lay on the bottom of it. He fell asleep before he knew it.

 

* * *

* * *

 

Noodle heard the starting clicks of the cyborg as it booted back up. She couldn’t turn around. It pained, her though, to hear it throwing up. 2D squeaked and backed against the wall audibly. She didn’t need to turn around to know he was tapping his fingers together.

 

Other submarines surrounded them. She knew it was the collaborators they’d asked to come out. A swarm of jellyfish were shredded by someone’s sub. Her cyborg put its hand on her shoulder. She relinquished control of their ship to him. 2D was trying to look her in the eye as she moved around the ship, but she refused to return the contact. As a distraction, she sent up the periscope and took a look around.

 

Just ahead of them was their island. The teen smiled for the first time in what felt like forever.

 

“There is it, Cyborg. Take us up,” she ordered. He saluted her and their shark swam upwards.

 

* * *

* * *

 

Murdoc was startled awake by a particularly strong wave. He sat up and looked around. The waves were stronger than before, but there was no sign of a storm coming. His first thought was of the Black Cloud- what if they knew he wasn’t dead. The bassist peered over board, but didn’t find a hunk of metal. Instead there was- a pair of giant hands?

 

He was trying to figure out where he’d seen them before when his raft was pushed out of the water.

 

* * *

* * *

 

Noodle stared ahead at the giant manatee which sat on part of their island. The cyborg and 2D stood behind her, one of which was holding a gun and the other biting their lip. Both stared at the giant creature as well, stuck in awe. The teenager pulled out a spyglass she’d gotten from Murdoc years ago.

 

Along with the manatee, she found a bastard she hadn’t seen in too long.

 

“Boogeyman,” she whispered to herself. The cyborg cocked its gun.

 

“Shoot to the right.”

 

It followed instructions well. Noodle looked the spyglass again to find that the Boogeyman had not been hit himself, but he took the manatee away. She lowered it again as the fog dissipated, revealing their new home. Around them, guests who had come up to take a look gasped in both disgust and wonder.

 

“Holy fuck, man, that smells so fuckin’ bad.”

 

“It’s made of trash, what the hell did you expect?”

 

“Why is it pink?”

 

“As long as we get our recording done, who gives a shit?”

 

Noodle closed her eyes and let out a breath. She knew it would be fine. The young teen could just feel it. Then, she gave in. 2D shouted and guest artists cried out. The cyborg caught her just before she hit the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the forth time I've hurt Noodle in this fic. I promise I love her to death, this is just the way I feel it needs to go.  
> On another note, I finally have a posting schedule, yay! It will really depend on whether I'm inspired that week or not, but I'll try my best to get this fic finished before the summer's out. Then I can finally start working on the sequel to Stu-Pot's a Bad Driver that I promised and then promptly forgot about! Or maybe I could do something with Phase 5...


	13. Players and Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forgetting is easy for him, but he doesn't forget forever.

He sat by her bedside for hours. The cyborg took care of their guests. She slept like the dead. 

 

He’d think she was dead if it weren’t for the steady pulse he sought out in her neck every other minute. Her brother took the time where she was asleep to take care of her. He brushed her hair the way he hadn’t since she was very small. He pulled off her jacket and shoes and socks and every accessory she insisted on wearing every day. 

 

She twitched when he hit a particularly nasty knot or had to sit her up to take off her necklace, but otherwise his sister was entirely still. When the cyborg came in with food, he dug in as soon as it was in his hands. He slammed it down onto her table when it touched her. 

 

“Dunchu dare. She ‘asn’t slept in days. You wouldn’ know what ‘at’s like, but it ain’ nice. She’s gonna sleep for a while longer an’ then I’ll wake ‘er up.”

 

It stood back up and glared at him. All of her courage was gone before it could open its mouth. 

 

“I do know what exhaustion is like, 2D. I may not need rest or food, but I do have some of Murdoc’s memories. If I recall, you were rather close to him. Of all people, you should know how little he slept or ate on bad days.”

 

It walked to the door. He spoke up just as it was twisting the knob, “Wha’ else d’you remembah?”

 

The cyborg stayed absolutely still.

 

“He called you faceache and was the first one to call you 2D. One time, you smoked marijuana together and you expressed how lucky you felt to have met him. He told you your meeting was very misfortunate. He would get frustrated by your inability to remember and hit you when he was drunk or having a long period of bad days.”

 

The singer closed his eyes in a futile attempt to recall these memories. All of them were mishmashed together in a blur. 

 

“Most of all, though,” it continued, “I remember how much he regretted getting caught messing around with Paula.”

 

That name brought a face into 2D’s mind. His eyes snapped open, but he couldn’t look away from his hands gripping one of his sister’s. Somewhere else, he knew the cyborg had left them without saying anything else, but right there, he remembered it all. 

 

* * *

* * *

 

_ Murdoc stumbled down the stairs, blood all over his face and Russel pulling him by his collar.  _

 

_ “Tell him,” the drummer said angrily. 2D sat up on the couch, “Wos goin’ on? Why’re you bleedin’, Muds?” _

 

_ The bassist grumbled something. Russel gave a box to his ears in response, “Fuckin’ tell him right goddamn now, you son of a bitch!” _

 

_ “I’m gettin’ to that, arsehole!” Murdoc barked. Their singer pushed himself over the back of the couch, slipping and landing on his back. He stumbled back up and rushed over to them. _

 

_ “Russ, wot th’ ‘ell?!” he shouted. Their band leader was released so he could hide behind his front man’s back. Russel crossed his arms, “That son of a bitch is nothin’ but trouble, ‘Dents! I’ve told ya this from day one an’ now he’s gone and fuckin’ proved it.” _

 

_ “I told you, she came onto me, ya fuckin’ arsehole!” Murdoc shouted back. The volume hurt 2D’s ears. _

 

_ “Would someone juss tell me wot th’ ‘ell is goin’ on?” he asked as his hands came up to rub at his ears. Russel glared at Murdoc over their friend’s shoulder, “If you won’t tell him, I will.” _

 

_ “Fine, goddamit,” the bassist grumbled. He maneuvered 2D around and sighed, “I was makin’ out with Paula.” _

 

_ 2D stared at him, “Wot?” _

 

_ “Dammit, are you fuckin’ daft? I made out with Paula an’ we woulda gotten further if Russ ‘adn’t walked in on us.” _

 

_ The singer was sure Murdoc didn’t see that punch coming.  _

 

_ “Fuck!” he screamed, holding onto his nose, “Iss fuckin’ broken! You arseholes broke my damn nose!” _

 

_ “You damn earned it, you son of a bitch! She’s his girlfriend!” _

 

_ “Ah can’ believe you’ve done this! Ah though we were frien’s, motherfucah!” _

 

_ Their guitarist came down the stairs, her top unbuttoned and hair wild, “He’s tellin’ the truth! I came onto ‘im!” _

 

_ 2D turned to her, but all the rage drained out of him. He closed his eyes and cried, “Oh my god, ah can’ believe you’ve done this.” _

 

_ Russel pushed him back gently, but the singer still stumbled. He heard their drummer tell her to get out and their bassist tell her it’s for the best. Mostly, though, he heard himself crying. _

 

* * *

* * *

 

He probably heard himself crying so much because he really was. She was sitting up now, but he had no idea when she’d woken up. 

 

“Toochie? What’s wrong?” 

 

Her brother put his head in her lap and sobbed. She brushed his hair with her fingers in an attempt to soothe him. He drew in a deep breath. 

 

“He’s a son of a bitch. Ah fuckin’ ‘ate him!”

 

She kept stroking his hair without saying anything else as he told her everything. He talked to her until he couldn’t find the energy to do anything but fall asleep anymore. 

 

When he woke, he was in his own bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should just say this fic will get updated once a week, but I don't. In other news, I'm not torturing Noodle anymore! At least, I didn't do it for this chapter. 
> 
> I'm thinking the end is gonna come sometime soon. So, next chapter will be a good ol' time skip with some of that tasty angst thrown in haphazardly!


	14. Daily Troll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new events unfold as old events are retold. She witnessed all of them and now she's got to make her choices.

It took too long for them to figure out where they were. Russel spoke up for the first time since they’d left the mainland the first day Murdoc put on his gift for his girl. 

 

“It’s been two years, six months, and fifteen days.”

 

“Wot was that?”

 

The giant continued swimming onwards, “It’s been almost two and a half years since we went lookin’ for them. By my estimations, it’s March third, two-thousand and ten.”

 

“So?” 

 

“I’m startin’ to lose hope, Muds. We should head back to the mainland.”

 

“Naw, c’mon Russ, we can’ lose hope yet! ‘M sure we’ll find them.”

 

The bassist looked around them. In every direction except one, there was nothing. But, no more than a few minute’s journey from them, there was something floating on the water. 

 

“Turn north, ‘ere’s somethin’ over there.”

 

* * *

* * *

 

_ “What the actual fuck are those?” _

 

_ “Shit, Cyborg, fire back! Everyone else, get below! And will someone go get 2D?” _

 

_ “Why does someone need t’ come get me? Wos goin’ on, Noods?” _

 

_ “You’re awake. We’re being attacked. We’ve gotta get down below before anyone gets hurt.” _

 

_ “FUCK!” _

 

_ “2D!” _

 

* * *

* * *

 

They came to it within the hour. Murdoc stood up on seeing the buoy and grabbed his girl’s second gift. Russel let the bassist on his hand to give him a closer look. 

 

“What is it, Muds?”

 

“Issa buoy, dumb fuck.”

 

“Are we getting close to the mainland again?”

 

“No, it ain’ juss a buoy. ‘Ere’s a camera in th’ top. This is Noodle’s doin’. We’re getting close.”

 

“What are we gonna do?”

 

Murdoc looked into the lense for a moment. He scratched his head and nodded. Then, he put his fingers on the keys and his lips to the mouthpiece of her instrument. 

 

* * *

* * *

 

_ “You said you hated someone before you went to sleep. Who was it?” _

 

_ “Murdoc. Why’re you lookin’ for ‘im anyways?” _

 

_ “He’s family. We can’t just let family stay lost.” _

 

_ “But ‘e ain’ lost.” _

 

_ “He’s not dead.” _

 

_ “Iss been five years now, Noodle. You can’ stay like this forevah. You gotta move on.” _

 

_ “Not until we know for certain he’s gone. He and Russel are coming for us. I know it.” _

 

* * *

* * *

 

He stopped playing and put it behind his back. The fingers Murdoc stood on curled just slightly. Russel took in a deep breath behind him. 

 

“Shit, man, I forgot you could play shit besides your bass.”

 

“Who d’you think taught Noodle how to play? It certainly wasn’ ‘Dents, that old dullard.”

 

“You gotta be kinder to him when we find them, y’know? He’s not that stupid.”

 

“Whatever.” 

 

Behind him on the other side, the bassist heard a buzzing. He turned back to look and spotted something more troubling. Murdoc looked back to the camera, wondering if he’d really have to die like this. He wondered how they’d react this time. Then, the plane got closer. They didn’t fire, but still got a little too close. The bassist ducked from it and felt his drummer do the same. 

 

Both stared at what could’ve been their doom as it flew away, further and further north. Murdoc turned back to his comerade, who grinned. 

 

“They ain’t far. I bet if we go that way, we’ll find them.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

“Let’s go then.”

 

Murdoc turned back to the camera.

 

“Gimme a sec.”

 

He brought the instrument up again and played it.

 

* * *

* * *

 

_ “Looks like they’re gone for now. Let’s start heading back up, everybody!” _

 

_ “‘At sure wos a close call. Les go, Noods.” _

 

_ “Hang on, 2D. I’ve been thinking and, well, we can’t go looking for him again.” _

 

_ “Really? Are you givin’ up th’ ghost?” _

 

_ “No, it’s just, well, those planes are Black Cloud.” _

 

_ “No…” _

 

_ “Yeah, 2D. We’re stuck here.” _

 

_ “FUCKIN’ ‘ELL!” _

 

_ “Wait, 2D!” _

 

* * *

* * *

 

He put it down again and just stared at the camera. Behind him, he heard his drummer sigh loudly. 

 

“What now?”

 

“This is one of hers. She’s still lookin’ for us.”

 

“Yeah, so? We knew she would.”

 

“She sent out a surveillance buoy instead of comin’ out herself.”

 

“Maybe she’s just busy.”

 

“No, she’d never be too busy to look for us. There’s trouble.”

 

“Then we gotta hurry.”

 

Murdoc simply pulled down the mask to cover his mouth. 

 

* * *

* * *

 

She stared in wide-eyed shock at the footage. This meant, sometime recently, those two had gotten within a few thousand meters of the island. 

 

While she was gone, they’d gotten within five hundred. And now they were missing again. Not a single other surveillance buoy had caught sight of them. 

 

Her brother came in with two mugs of steaming tea. She could smell the strong scent of peppermint from her seat, but didn’t turn around. He sat across from her and asked what was up with her. 

 

She picked up one of the mugs and rewinded the footage. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's almost done and I've got a few more songs to go through for chapter titles. I might change them up once I'm done with this fic and write another two chapter thing explaining some other things, but that would be it I think. This fic's about two or three chapters from the epilogue. It's been a wild ride, but it's not over yet!
> 
> Next chapter's gonna be even more of a dozy, so prepare yourselves!


	15. What the Morning Brings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She knows the full truth. Now, she's got to make her choices.

She saw them again a week later. Russel walked through the water, with an all-too familiar bassist sitting on his head. The former bit the head off a shark as the latter turned towards the camera. He lifted his hand up, then the feed cut out. 

 

Noodle raised her hand back, though she knew they couldn’t see her. She’d see them in real life soon enough. On another screen, she spotted a figure she’d hated for so long. The girl climbed up to where he stood and shouted at him. 

 

“Why the fuck are you here, Boogeyman?!”

 

Behind her, the cyborg climbed up too. He held up two guns and fired. 

 

Their foe fled off the building. Noodle let cyborg go ahead of her, but she made sure to keep a close eye on that asshole. It practically flew down the cliff, then fell off the island entirely. 

 

“He better stay away,” she murmured under her breath. Then, she noticed the giant fucking ship. 

 

“Oh come the fuck on.”

 

Boogeyman jumped up onto the deck. He pointed back at her, then grabbed its cape and pulled. It kicked up thick black smoke which swirled around in vague shapes. She watched it further to discover it wasn’t smoke. It was steam. 

 

“The Black Cloud… He lead them to us,” she told herself. The cyborg turned to her, but it could no longer say anything. It just turned back around and dived down. She heard its boots stomp away. But, she couldn’t look away from the smoke. Somehow, the swirls began to make sense. They began to show her something. 

 

_ Four beings on horses rode towards her. Her eyes glinted off the blade of the first. The second leaned towards her, holding its scythe tightly and grinning. She heard a shrill laugh behind her as the next horse rode up. Its rider ignored her entirely. The horse whined loudly at her. The fourth almost reminded her of an older 2D. He almost ran into her, but moved aside just in time. The dust all the horses kicked up blinded her for another moment.  _

 

_ When it cleared away, though, she saw another figure sitting in a horse so bony, it looked like a mule. The teen approached slowly without moving her feet. She found the Boogeyman.  _

 

“What?” 

 

_ Another figure approached him. They wore a cloak torn to bits, a hat that hid their eyes, and help a walking stick. She’d think he was a stranger if his nose and hair weren’t dead giveaways.  _

 

“This is…”

 

_ The figure held out their hand to the Boogeyman. He reached out to shake it, but the other reached forward and gave the appendage a death grip. They gave a toothy grin, showing off rows of jagged teeth. _

 

_ When they looked up, her suspicions were confirmed.  _

 

“Murdoc… what did you do?”

 

Noodle came back to the present where she stared at the ship stationed in front of her island. The Boogeyman stared back, whispering from so far away. 

 

_ He cheated me. I’m simply taking what’s mine.  _

 

“What’s yours?”

 

_ He didn’t just promise his soul.  _

 

The guitarist closed her eyes to fight the swelling sense of betrayal, “That son of a bitch.”

 

Below, she heard an explosion and the loud clanging of metal hitting wood. She could just imagine Cyborg coming out of the building with guns in either hand. Her guests, who had gone out onto the beach for the day to get some fresh air for once, must be startled and scared. 

 

Perhaps, though, she was projecting her own emotions. The fear overtook her sorrow when she saw the steam on deck become solid men. Most of them looked down with confusion or blankness, but some looked directly at her with pure glee wired in their smiles. A plane flew under the clouds. The first thing she saw was the gun mounted on the bottom. She dived for the trapdoor before it could start firing. Even so, a bullet grazed both of her calves. 

 

“Fuck!” she shouted as the guitarist banged into the floor below the roof. She struggled to her knees and scrambled to her cyborg’s charging cell, slamming the door shut just in time to avoid the explosion. She still felt the flames against the metal door. Her sweater just barely protected her from the heat of the flames quietly beating on the door. 

 

Noodle knew she was safe as long as she was in here, but her brother wasn’t as lucky. She knew he was sitting in the second room he’d claimed for himself when they had to start spending multiple days underwater. He’d likely be just as afraid as she was, maybe even more. 

 

“Shit,” she said to herself, pushing the panel back out of the way. Immediately, the flames devouring the carpet made a reach for her. They set her sweater on fire quickly and licked at her cheek. She kept moving despite it. 

 

“Whale Alert,” blared sirens she’d installed not long ago at the request of 2D. 

 

“Toochie!” she cried out. Smoke filled her lungs and made her cough her throat raw. The guitarist tore down the stairs, nearly tripping far too many times. She heard the sirens shut off above her. Tears from smoke became mixed with tears she’d been holding back for hours now. 

 

“NO!” she hoarsely screamed, falling down at the level just before they went down into the island. The door to the outside had been blown off its hinges, just as she suspected. The cyborg came back in and hoisted her to her feet. 

 

“Leave me be,” she whispered. It entirely ignored her orders, hauling her out the door. The earlier betrayal combined with losing her last family member finally made her snap.

 

“Leave me fucking alone, you piece of shit!” she screeched as she ripped herself out of its grasp, “I hate you! I fucking hate you! Don’t you fucking get that, you fucking hunk of shit?!”

 

“You don’t mean that, love.”

 

The raspy voice she’d once missed so much made her eyes snap open. His face was filthy and his hair was longer than it had been, but it was him. 

 

“Murdoc?”

 

He gave her his half snarl, half smile he’d always done, “Told you I’d be back.”

 

She looked around the beach. Russel leaned on one side, looking much larger than he ever had. On the other side, her guests stared in pure awe. They were gathered around the powered-down cyborg, which lay looking broken on the pink plastic. Her brother came to the doorway, clown mask nowhere to be seen. 2D stopped at what remained of the frame and stared at the two of them. 

 

Finally, Noodle looked back to someone she’d once considered like a dad. He looked at her, still showing that odd smile. She punched him right in the eye. 

 

“Ow! What the ‘ell?!”

 

Before he could recoiled, she gripped his collar and lifted him into the air by it.

 

“You son of a bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this is why I shouldn't post shit when I'm tired. I accidentally posted the same damn chapter twice. Wow, what a dumbie am I right? Anyway, I originally wrote this when I really despised Murdoc, then wrote the next chapter the next day, so ya lonely writer buddy (me) was inconsistent as fuck when doing those two. Enjoy this and please enjoy next chapter. After that, all we've got is the epilogue. Boy am I excited to finally be done with this fic


	16. Connected to the Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road to forgiveness starts with saying sorry. With him, they thought they'd never start down that path.

2D stared at his sister as she snarled at their old band leader. The old bastard seemed frightened for his life, as he should be with their, frankly almost terrifying, not-so-little girl holding him in the air with bloodlust written in her eyes. For just a single second, no one breathed. 2D went over everything he’d been through in the years upon years of knowing that arsehole and, though he couldn’t recall many good memories, he did remember how much Noodle had cried over him before this whole mess started. The singer didn’t wait for anyone else to say a word before he was running to the pair. 

 

“Noodle, stop!”

 

He grabbed her arm and yanked, dropping their old friend onto the ground in the process. A mask fell off his head and clattered uselessly to his side. The guitarist turned to her brother, showing off the tears in her eyes as she tore into him, “He’s the entire reason we’re here! He’s why we had to burn Kong! He’s why I made the creepiest fucking robot on the face of the damn earth! I can’t believe you would defend him, after everything he did to you! That motherfucker put your eyes out and hurt you! You just fucking told me a few months ago you fucking  _ hated _ him! And now you want to protect him when he’s getting what he’s fucking earned? What the hell is wrong with you, 2D?”

 

“Wot th’ ‘ell is wrong with  _ you _ , Noodle? You’ve been lookin’ for ‘im for fuckin’ years! And now you’re juss gonna, wot, kill ‘im? At least give him a fuckin’ chance!” 

 

“No fucking way! He sold my soul!”

 

“Wait a fuckin’ second, y’all,” a deep, booming voice said. 2D looked up to find the second scariest sight he’d seen all day. It took him a hot second to recognize one of his best friends. Once he did, however, the singer had never felt more relieved and scared out of his wits at once.

 

“Wot th’ fuckin’ ‘ell?! Russel?!”

 

The giant drummer ignored him in favor of pointed at Murdoc, “What did you do?”

 

The bassist gasped for air between each word, “I didn’ have a choice. Boogeyman woulda never taken the deal otherwise. I did it for us!”

 

“You fucking made a deal where  _ both _ of our souls were sold to the Boogeyman! He showed me. I just wanna know why, you moldy old pickle! Why did you go behind my back without ever fucking  _ telling _ me?! We could’ve avoided half this fucking mess if you’d just said  _ something, _ anything! 2D and Russel, they wouldn’t be like this right now! Just tell me fucking  _ why, _ ” Noodle had tears crawling down her cheeks, but she didn’t seem care anymore. 

 

“You fucking left me to just fend for myself without ever telling me what I was going up against, you-”

 

She cut herself off into Japanese her brother couldn’t understand, but he knew what the sobs that followed it meant. 2D pulled her into his arms and shushed her much like the way he did after she’d come to him with a nightmare before she’d been able to speak English at all. The young woman cried hard into his shirt, holding onto his shoulders tightly. The singer looked over his shoulder at the guests who were still staring in shock. 

 

“You lot oughta get back inside. Th’ Black Cloud is prolly gonna attack again soon. Take th’ cyborg with you, will ya?”

 

The other musicians nodded and filled back into the building with quiet murmurs. Their friends from Del La Soul carried the hunk of shit with minimal complaints. Noodle didn’t stop weeping until the last sound of shoes going away and guesses on why their host was an emotional mess had faded away against the beating of water on the shore. Except for the hard breathing and occasional noises of oldest and youngest Gorillaz members, the beach sounded void of human life. 

 

“I wanted to be your friend again, Murdoc. I wanted us to be like an American superduo, a Batman and his Robin, just like we were before all this,” she finally said as she pulled herself out of her brother’s arms, waving her hand around to punctuate her sentence, “But I know what you did now. He showed me what you did. We can’t be like that now that I know what you did. What if he _had_ dragged me down to Hell? What if _you_ were the one who’d made this place? Would you have replaced me with a version of myself that never could talk? Would you have hurt 2D and replaced Russel with a stupid  drums machine? Would you have made a new album just to stay relevant? Just so the band wouldn’t die while I was gone and you still had money for your _fucking_ _booze_?!”

 

2D watched Murdoc get up with a long grunt. The bastard held his bruising eye with one hand and stared at her with the other eye, “I don’t know. What I do know is tha’ ’m here now. ‘M so sorry I didn’t tell you. That one’s on me. You have every right to be pissed off. But, I hope I can make it up to you.”

 

Above them, the singer heard the tell-tale sign of planes closing in. 

 

“‘At’s all nice, guys, but we still gotta big problem. We gotta get below or we’ll be blown to bits!”

 

Murdoc sighed and turned around, “Call them off, Bogeyman! Let’s strike a new deal.”

 

The machines disappeared in a cloud of dark steam. 

 

_ I’m listening _ . 

 

“Give me twenty more years with m’ family without botherin’ us too bad and I won’t tell the big boss about this shit.”

 

The demon was quiet for a few minutes. Then…

 

_ Shit, I forgot. You belong to no one but Him. Very well, Murdoc, you fucking prick.  _

 

It dived off the ship to breech onto their island a moment later and land on its feet. Murdoc held out his unoccupied hand, which the Boogeyman shook begrudgingly. 

 

“Pleasure doing business, arsehole.”

 

_ You will someday get your due, Niccals. I shall be off. _

 

It dissipated into a cloud of smoke and sunk into the plastic. 

 

“Well,” 2D said after a little while of shocked silence, “‘That was anti-climatic.”

 

His oldest friend turned around with a chuckle, “Missed you too, ‘Dents.”

 

“Go fuck yourself, cunt.”

 

“That’s about what I expected from you. Now, shall we go see about havin’ a little talk about that big ol’ tour you’ve been planning? ‘Eard about it a few days ago on m’ radio.”

 

Noodle stared at him hard in the eye. Then, she broke and rushed into his arms, “It’s good to have you back, Murdoc.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I didn't know how to wrap this up at first. I still am not the biggest fan of how this is ending, but at least it's not quite over yet. Because I'm super impatient, I've decided that the epilogue will be posted on Wednesday instead of next Monday. It's probably not gonna be the ending y'all want, but it's the ending I feel this fic needs. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and meet me again Wednesday for the finale! Ciao, loverlies!


	17. Epilogue

They went out to see it on a really hot day. She took the passenger’s seat, he drove them. At first, the only noises were from the radio as it marched song after song through their ears. Then, he became talking about how rubbish it all was, how they could make it way better. She just listened to him for a while, looking out the window at the clouds they passed. Even years after they’d left it all behind, she still couldn’t go anywhere without expected someone to begin shooting at her. Most days it broke his heart to know  _ this _ is what he did to her.

 

Today, however, he had something more important in mind. 

 

She piped up to tell him when they’d reached their destination and he pulled off the road. He got as close to the canyon as he dared with the car before getting out. As he walked closer to it, the man lit up the cigarette he’d known he would need when they started talking about doing this.

 

Cigarette in hand, he looked down at the island as it lie where it had for years. It had really become part of the landscape since it had been shot down, but he still knew that was where it all started. Any second now, he’d be finally leaving it behind once and for all. Still, he felt his anxiety crawling up his spine as the time ticked away. The cigarette in his mouth burned away, but he stayed still for once. He’d been moving a lot recently and he’d be moving more in less than two decades. As much as he wanted to belong to them, he couldn’t. 

 

“Fuck that. ‘M not goin’ anywhere until I die, Beelzebub. Take it all back. I don’t care anymore,” he mumbled to the open air. It was to his own disappointment when he didn’t feel himself become a real boy, but he knew he’d already lost the chance for that. His old man really ws right to make him a little Pinocchio after all. 

 

Behind him, he heard her open the door to stick her head out. 

 

“Murdoc! Come on, you old bastard!” he heard his girl call. She was definitely a woman now, but he still remembered the days when he could carry her with one arm. As long as he had those memories, she’d always be his girl. 

 

Old memories of whispers came up as he threw his finished cigarette down the cliff. 

 

The bassist nodded, “Don’t get your pants in a twist, ‘m comin’.”

 

He headed back to the car, taking his time. His girl looked at him with a concern he hadn’t really seen in years.

 

“Murdoc? What’s going on?”

 

He brushed back her bangs to look her in the eye, “Nothing at all now, Noodle. Let’s go take care of ‘Dents and Russ, okay?”

 

Her mouth formed a grin and she kissed his cheek, “Sounds like a plan to me.”

 

“How’s about we all go find some birds for the night? Break in the new place a bit?” he growled lewdly, crossing to the opposite side of the car to get into the driver’s seat. She let out a quick chuckle.

 

“Murdoc.”

 

“Okay, okay. Just pick up the boys and then straight to the so-called ‘Spirit House’ then,” he kissed her forehead and started the engine. Murdoc used the rearview mirror to look back one more time. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. The last thing he did before driving off was grow a content smile right in the middle of his face. No matter how temporary it was, it was still there for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Thanks for reading my fic, it really means a lot to me. For this ending, I was really torn. I do not like him as a character, but I made him someone that the band genuinely cares about. Here, he's not someone they'd let rot in prison for long. So, I made this ending as happy as I could.
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading. I'll hopefully see you in my next fic, a followup to Stu Pot's a Bad Driver.

**Author's Note:**

> Please consider leaving a kudos or comment if you enjoyed! Also, come talk to me on Tumblr (@geeky-pan)
> 
> Have a great day and stay safe, y'all!  
>  ~~Eli


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